BORIS Johnson has declined to take a hardline stance on Scots Hogmanay revellers travelling to England to make use of its relaxed Covid rules – despite a firm warning from the Scottish Government.
The Prime Minister, who broke his silence on soaring Omicron cases after dodging reporters for several days, insisted people should enjoy the festivities while remaining “cautious”.
The Tory leader has reportedly been at his luxury retreat Chequers over Christmas, having last addressed the public on Christmas Eve in a pre-recorded message.
It comes amid a surge in Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations across the UK – though England’s public health measures remain less strict than in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Asked about reports of people travelling across the border from Scotland and Wales into England to celebrate, he told reporters: “I think everybody should enjoy New Year but in a cautious and sensible way.
“Take a test, ventilation, think about others – but above all, get a booster.”
Earlier, Scotland’s deputy first minister urged partygoers to reconsider plans to travel south of the Border – where nightclubs remain open.
John Swinney told Scots that would be the “wrong course of action” and would go against the “spirit” of the regulations put in place by the Scottish Government.
Nightclubs in Scotland were ordered to close their doors again for at least three weeks from December 27.
Limits on the number of people who can take part in events – capping these at a maximum of 500 out of doors, with smaller numbers permitted indoors – have also forced the cancellation of New Year’s Eve street parties, including the one planned for Edinburgh.
Instead, the Scottish Government is urging people to “stay at home as much as possible” – with any meet-ups to be limited to a maximum of three households.
Johnson had been conspicuous in his absence from public places in recent days. But he made the short trip to a Milton Keynes vaccination centre from Chequers on Wednesday morning.
Asked where he had been, the Prime Minister chortled: “I’ve been in this country. Why do you think?”
What an extraordinary panic from Johnson, asked the simplest possible question: Where have you been for the last ten days? ~AA pic.twitter.com/DA9XixS6dR
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) December 29, 2021
The Tory leader said the UK Government had looked at the “balance of the risks” on Covid policy.
Asked why England had acted differently to the devolved nations, he told reporters: “I think that we’ve looked at the balance of the risks together, we generally concert our strategies together, we see the data showing that, yes, the cases are rising and, yes, hospitalisations are rising, but what is making a huge difference is the level of booster resistance or level of vaccine-induced resistance in the population.
“What we need to do now is really finish off that work. I’ve no doubt at all that by January 1, by the New Year, every adult in the country will have been offered the slot to get a booster. They’ll be given a slot to get one.
“The question is, are we getting people coming forward to take advantage of those slots? And that’s what needs to happen.”
READ MORE: Scots urged not to travel to England for New Year's Eve celebrations
Johnson said he “cannot stress too much” how important it is to get a booster jag as he urged people to enjoy the New Year “sensibly and cautiously”.
He told reporters: “I’m sorry to say this but the overwhelming majority of people who are currently ending up in intensive care in our hospitals are people who are not boosted.
“I’ve talked to doctors who say the numbers are running up to 90% of people in intensive care, who are not boosted.
“If you’re not vaccinated, you’re eight times more likely to get into hospital altogether.
“So it’s a great thing to do. It’s very, very important. Get boosted for yourself, and enjoy New Year sensibly and cautiously.”
There are no official NHS figures on the vaccination status of people in intensive care but medics have warned the vast majority are either unvaccinated or have not had all their doses.
Earlier, Swinney told BBC Scotland that Scots should not travel south for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Asked if there would be anything to stop people heading to England, Swinney stated: “People are free to take those decisions, but I would discourage them from doing so.
“I think it is the wrong course of action for people to take because we have a serious situation we have got to manage and we encourage everybody to play their part in addressing that.”
His comments came after Covid infections in Scotland spiked over the Christmas period, with a record 11,030 cases reported on December 26 – the highest total the country has seen since the start of the pandemic.
It comes ahead of Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid update in Parliament, which is scheduled for around 2pm at Holyrood.
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